After one coat of primer and four coats of paint in the dining room, that damn red still looks splotchy. Is it me? Is it the paint? Perhaps I'll never know for sure, but damn it - I'm not going to put another coat on those walls. We'll just eat our dinners in candlelight in that room so the streaky walls aren't that visible.

So much to do before my parents arrive tomorrow evening! I haven't baked one thing yet, but we got all the ingredients last night. I'll be baking four kinds of cookies, and I think that will be enough. In addition to the five-minute fudge, I'll be making good ol' chocolate chip cookies, no-bake cookies, and sugar cookies. When I'm going to get to all that, I really don't know. I also just came back from the market with a rented steam cleaner. There are so many pee stains and dirt dragged in from the back yard I'm crossing my fingers that this will at least get some of it out. Beige rug, I curse you!

Then there is the cleaning of the house. Knowing I'd be doing a thorough cleaning before the holidays, I've sort of put off the regular upkeep I usually do, so cleaning will take a bit longer this go 'round. I'm going to tackle one floor at a time; I think that's the only sane way to do it. If I just didn't have to work today or tomorrow, I'd be stress-free knowing I had enough time to get this all done. I'm actually not upset that we decided to have a home improvement mad scramble in the last week, because we've accomplish a whole hell of a lot (funny how a deadline lights a fire under our asses), but I will be glad when my parents arrive and we can officially relax and be done. That will make for a nice holiday, for sure.

Hope you all aren't quite as frantic as I am...